


If Only

by allicekitty13



Series: Jaliceweek 10/20 [3]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, JaliceWeek20, Justice for Riley, Short exploration of feelings, Yes I'm still on the Riley thing, i will die on this hill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27094888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allicekitty13/pseuds/allicekitty13
Summary: After the newborn battle in Eclipse Jasper sneaks away to address his feelings alone.For Jalice Week Day 3: Canon Gapfillers
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale
Series: Jaliceweek 10/20 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131668
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11
Collections: Jalice Week 2020





	If Only

Jasper sat on a cliffside overlooking the river, hours after the rest of his family had returned home to celebrate beating Victoria. Everyone except himself and Alice. She was hiding a few miles back, but he knew she was there; he always knew when she was there. He could feel her waves of concern even from a distance so attuned to her emotions as he was.  
Jasper appreciated how well she understood him. He knew she wanted to be there to comfort him while knowing when to give him space. He would call for her when he was ready to talk, and she knew that. 

Right now, he needed to be alone. He had many thoughts that he knew the others, particularly Edward, wouldn't understand. Jasper knew the way events played out was out of anyone's control; still, Riley's death weighed heavily on him. 

The sequence of events leading to the young man's demise hit far too close to home, the parallels astounding. The situation had gotten Jasper thinking about how many Rileys had existed over time compared to how many Jaspers. How many people had been in the exact same position, lied to, manipulated? How many hadn't made it out?  
He thought back on his past, wondering how many times he'd come so very close to meeting the same fate. How close had he come to not making it, how lucky was he to have escaped? 

Jasper yelled out in frustration; he could feel a spike of worry from the girl hiding behind him. He sent out a small wave of calm, wordlessly communicating that he was still fine that he wasn't ready for her yet. 

If only he had been able to do something, anything to help that boy. Maybe if he had been there, he could have convinced Riley. Perhaps if he'd had an opportunity to communicate his story, Riley would have changed his mind and survived. They could have been friends. Of course, Jasper cared for his family, and hopelessly loved his wife.  
Nevertheless, he only knew one person who truly understood his feelings. Peter was the only one who had shared the same experience, and he didn't come around very often. It would have been nice to have somebody who knew how it felt to honestly believe someone cared for you only to realize they were using you. 

With a deep breath, he accepted it was useless to beat himself up. He had made sure Alice got out of the battle alive, and at the end of the day, that was more important than anything. "Alice?" He called out her name, signaling that she should approach. The woman was at his side in seconds, ready to soothe his pain.


End file.
